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SEPTEMBER 26, 2000

On Monday, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court decision which would have prevented Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt from taking 165 acres of land into trust for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal nation of Connecticut.

Three local towns and the state of Connecticut challenged the Department of Interior over a 1995 decision to take the land into trust. A US District Court had ruled against the government, who then appealed to the Second Circuit.

Although a decision on the case appeared to come slow, as the case was heard in January, local leaders had been optimistic about the outcome. The towns of Ledyard, North Stonington, and Preston have continuously opposed the tribe adding more land to its reservation.

The case is Connecticut v. Babbitt, Docket No. 99-6042.

Get the Story:
Court Affirms Annexation Plan (The New London Day 9/26)

Related Stories:
Towns optimistic about Pequot suit (Tribal Law 06/15)

Relevant Links:
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals - www.law.pace.edu/lawlib/legal/us-legal/judiciary/second-circuit.html